Martin Lee @ Sg
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Beware of LinkedIn Scams

It seems that scammers can try all sorts of things nowadays.

The LinkedIn scam that I’m going to describe is actually not new and used to be sent via emails.

linkedin scamWhat is new is that in order to make the message seem more authentic, it was sent via a LinkedIn message.

A few weeks ago, I received a LinkedIn connection request from a person called Charles Anthony. His LinkedIn profile indicated that he worked at HSBC Private Bank.

Shortly after I accepted his connection request, he sent me a LinkedIn message. I only saw the message when I looked through my email spam folder some time later.

I didn’t actually see the message inside Linkedin, so it must either have been filtered off by LinkedIn or the message was only sent via email and disguised to look like a LinkedIn notification message.

Anyway, the message goes like this:

Dear Martin Lee,

All I want is an honest business transaction between us. First of all, I will start by introducing myself. My name is Charles Anthony, I am currently working with HSBC Banking Group SA. I was the personal accountant to Engineer (Adam Lee) a foreign contractor who has an investment account with my bank. My late client was a contractor with Anglo America Platinum, South Africa until his death in a fatal car accident while in France on sabbatical with his entire family in the summer of 2007. He banked with us and has some money in his account which is yet to be claimed as he died without mandating a next of kin to take over.

The amount left behind is 7,649,000 (Seven million, six hundred and forty nine thousand Pounds). Since the death of my client, my bank has made several attempts to locate any of his extended family member or relative all to no avail. I came to know about you in my search for a person who shares the same last name with my late client. I employed the service of LinkedIn search solely for this purpose as I feel it would not have been the last wish of my late client for his whole savings to be transferred to a government (Es cheat). He always complained of their unfavorable public monetary policies and taxes while he was alive. My bank has issued me several notice to provide the next of kin or the account risk been confiscated within the next 14 official working days.

I am contacting you because i want the funds transferred to you before it is declared non-serviceable by my bank. I am seeking your consent to present you as the next of kin to my late client since you share the same last name. As such, the proceeds of the account can be paid to you as soon as you contact my bank and apply for the funds to be released to you as the next of kin while i guide you. We both have to act swiftly on this matter in other to beat the deadline es cheat date.

Please get back to me immediately for us to proceed. I propose that upon successful completion of this deal, we will split the proceeds 50:50. I am after the success of this transaction with your full co-operation. All I require is your honesty and full co-operation to enable us see this cool deal go through. I guarantee you that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement so you have nothing to worry about.

I will attach my ID in my next mail for authenticity so we have equal ground to trust each other. I will send you more information directing you on further procedure on how we can claim the money in the account successfully. The content of this mail should be treated with utmost confidentiality and a quick response from you will be highly appreciated. I anticipate your co-operation. Thank you for your time and do have a great day. I will appreciate very much if you provide me with your personal email address to be able to send my ID to you. Please forward response to my personal email: removed

I shall await your positive response.

Yours in service.

C. Anthony

So ironic that this scammer started the message about having an honest business transaction when the thing he was purposing was far from honest.

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2 comments
VS Lingam says 9 years ago

The opening few lines of the msg sound similar to Nigerian scam letters.

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Numbers says 9 years ago

I came across possibly this same guy and a few others who propose somewhat similar messages via LinkedIn and other social media like FB.

Basically they are desperate and trying to find as many ways and different sources as possible other than from the usual email, and also via other social media to scam more potential victims.

It is important to discern and differentiate what is genuine and what is scammed.

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